The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-11-25
CONQUERED AND CoNQUERoRS.
The Contempt in Which tho Arabs
OF Algeria Hold Their French


OF Algeria Hold Their French
Rulers.
At that ball, as during the whole OF
my stay in Algeria, nothing astonshe
me more than the evident contempt en-
tertained by the conquered for their
conquerors; but they seemed inclined
to make no effort to throw off the yoke.
1t is as if they felt that they were con-
qucred, not by the French, but by some
inevitable fate, to whose decree they
must bow with unquestioning submis.
sion. On the other hand, the efforts
which the French make to concilitate
the Arabs are almost abject in the fer
vor of their humility. That evening,
If one of the sheiks condescended to
stroll into the ballroom, half dozen
official personages advanced to bid him
welcomes the governor and his wife
overwhelmed him with attentions; and
O special officer was told off TO walk by
his side and give him any information
he might require. II this were done
in the hope of exciting gratitude, II
was labor in vain; the sheik received
the advances of his entertainers will
stately courtesy, but evidently regarded
all homage as his just due.
Nor is it only in the palace that this
extraordinary inversion of the usual
relationship between the conquered
and the conquerors exists; in the
streets, public assemblies, everywhere,
the same efforts are made by the
French officials to avoid all cause OF
offense. The gendarmerie and the SOL
diers are literally hidden away in dark
hooks and caves, lest their presence
should wound the susceptibilities OF the
native race; and on the few occasions
which they must necessarily be brought
to the fore. apparently they receive
private instructions that the Arabs are
not to DO subjected to any of those
petty tyrannes which it so delights
the soul of French official TO prac'
tice on his own countrymen. An
amusing isnstance of this occurred at the
Anglers races, few days after the
ball. A part of the ground near the
grand stand was surrounded by red
cord, as sign that the public was ex-
cluded. Through some misunderstood
ing q motley crowd of Europeans broke
down the red cord and crowded into
the reserved space. The gendarmes,
bristling with furry. rode into their
midst and. striking right and left with
perfectly unnecessary violence, drove
the people away. Some half-hour later
the same thing occurred; again the red
cord fell. and crowd took possession
of the reserved grounds but this time
the crowd was Arab, evidently the
poorest class, but still Arab. ! expect
ed repetition of the former scene. bul
to my establishment one gerdarme
looked at another, lie made q sign tc
the third, who looked for directions to
fourth; but no one ventured to adj
dress the intruders.
At length some official of Importance
was sent for, and after considerable de-
lay. hesitation, and consultation, this
person did summon sufficient courage
to ride up to the inclosurer but far
from there being any signs of the VIC
lence and abuse to which the Europe
ans had been subjected he bowed TO the
Arabs as If they were sovereign princes
and he the most lowly of their subjects
In the blandest of tones he apologizet
for disturbing them. and entered into
elaborate explanation Of the why ant
wherefore of the case; but all his pray
ers and entreaties were in vain. The
Arabs listened to what he said with
courtesy equal to his own; the saic
gravity of their faces never relaxed,
but move they would not, and did not
and at length the officer rode away
with gesture of despair, and gave
orders that they were to be left in pos
session of the ground!--AU The Year
Round.